- Title: Feminist groups denounce two new French ministers for alleged rape, misogynism
- Date: 7th July 2020
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (JULY 7, 2020) (REUTERS) FEMINIST GROUPS CHANTING AT PROTEST AGAINST APPOINTMENTS OF INTERIOR MINISTER, GERALD DARMANIN, AND JUSTICE MINISTER, ERIC DUPOND-MORETTI, IN GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS POINTING AND CHANTING (French): "He's the accomplice, he's the accused" PROTESTERS CHANTING (French): "Guilty ministers, justice nowhere" PROTEST SIGN READING (French): "Darmanin appointed, victims despised" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CARRYING MOCK CASKET READING (French): "The great question of the president's mandate" SIGN READING (French): "Darmanin appointed = Permission to rape" VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WEARING SIGNS READING (French): "Dupond-Moretti - Anti-feminist" (SOUNDBITE) (French) 31-YEARS-OLD PROTESTER, KARMA DUQUESNES, SAYING: "The message they're sending to all women who want to go to a police station to report a rape that she suffered, well, the message is very clear today. They don't care about rape allegations, and they can put someone who is a presumed rapist at the top of the interior ministry. It's disgusting, all like the justice minister, who is now patriarchal justice minister, which is Dupond-Moretti." PROTEST SIGN READING (French): "Darmanin" PROTESTERS CHANTING 32-YEARS-OLD PROTESTER AND SPOKESWOMAN FOR "OSEZ LE FEMINISME" MOVEMENT, FABIENNE EL KHOURY, HOLDING SIGN READING (French): "A RAPIST AT THE INTERIOR (MINISTRY)" / "AN ACCOMPLICE AT THE JUSTICE (MINISTRY)" (SOUNDBITE) (French) 32-YEARS-OLD PROTESTER AND SPOKESWOMAN FOR "OSEZ LE FEMINISME" MOVEMENT, FABIENNE EL KHOURY, SAYING: "Each time we think we're progressing with women's rights, then we have bombshells, like a man accused of rape appointed as interior minister. He's supposed to be the top cop. We know well that women victims of rape are already scared to go to the police station, and even those who come, some of them are rejected, are being told, 'No, sorry ma'am, we don't do that'. And now we have a man accused of rape as a top cop, it's disappointing, it's an insult." SIGN READING (French): " AN ACCOMPLICE AT THE JUSTICE (MINISTRY)" (SOUNDBITE) (French) 32-YEARS-OLD PROTESTER AND SPOKESWOMAN FOR "OSEZ LE FEMINISME" MOVEMENT, FABIENNE EL KHOURY, SAYING: "Dupond-Moretti, we reproach him of being a great misogynistic. He had anti-feminist remarks, very sexist ones. He's attacked the MeToo movement. He has defended rapists, men accused of rape, paedophilia and pimps." SIGN READING (French): "Stop rape culture" PROTESTERS CHANTING SIGN READING (French): "Reshuffle of shame"
- Embargoed: 21st July 2020 18:22
- Keywords: Darmanin Dupond-Moretti France MeToo movement accusations feminists government reshuflle protest
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA001CLTAEDJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: PLEASE NOTE: EDIT CONTAINS NUDITY
Feminist groups staged demonstrations in Paris on Tuesday (July 7) a day after a new lineup of ministers was revealed by the government in the latest reshuffle.
Feminist activists accuse the government of misogyny for appointing Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who faces allegations of rape, and Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, whom they deem sexist based on his comments against the MeToo movement.
Several dozen protesters held up signs calling the reshuffle "shameful" and expressed their anger at Darmanin and Dupond-Moretti at one protest in the French capital.
Three topless women also protested in front of the Elysee Palace in Paris, one of them bearing the slogan "RIP The Promises", shortly before President Emmanuel Macron held his first cabinet meeting with his reshuffled government.
The three women, at least one of whom had the name of the feminist group Femen written on her back, were arrested by the police.
The Paris appeal court in June ordered the reopening of an investigation into a rape allegation against Darmanin, two years after a judge dismissed the case.
The initial inquiry into the allegations against Darmanin, who is a close political ally of President Emmanuel Macron, was dropped in August 2018 when prosecutors, said they could not establish "absence of consent".
A woman accused the then budget minister of coercing her into having sex in 2009 when she sought his help in having her criminal record cleared. She appealed against the decision to drop the investigation but the Paris appeal court had said she did so too late.
Dupond-Moretti, who was a practising lawyer, told GQ magazine in an interview that there are "crazy women who tell nonsense and question a man's honour, who cannot defend himself because he's already been crucified in social media".
Speaking in a post-cabinet meeting news briefing, newly appointed government spokesman Gabriel Attal defended Darmanin, saying he deserves the presumption of innocence. Attal added that Dupond-Moretti had acted based on his profession of being a lawyer.
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